Four-star hotel up for £2.25m

A landmark hotel near Preston has been put up for sale for more than £2m.

The Best Western Plus Samlesbury Hotel - formerly known as the Swallow, the Trafalgar and the Five Barred Gate - is being offered as a “going concern” by adminstrators brought in recently by owners Squire Hotels.

News that the four-star venue was struggling came as a huge shock last month to the hospitality industry in the North West.

It won the Hotel of the Year category in the 2017 Lancashire Business Awards and had been shortlisted to retain the title in 2018.

Property specialists GVA have been made sole agents for the sale. They have asked for offers in the region of £2.25m.

When the hotel went into administration, uncertainty over Brexit, the introduction of the National Living Wage and the prospect of rising inflation were all blamed for a fall-off in bookings.

Joint administrator Matthew Ingram, of Duff and Phelps in Manchester, said in a statement: “With Brexit on the horizon and inflation on the rise, uncertainty is building, meaning consumers are increasingly tightening their belts.”